'Ello, duckies! Welcome to the next bally story by yore friend Hoody! Seriously, this is a story I wanted to write ever since I played the game. Some chapters will be short, because the level in the game is short. I'm simply putting the Titans in Torque's position. I'm working on one for Terra, but that has yet to be determined. And yes, there will be dialogue. And implied Robin/Starfire and Beast Boy/Terra. But no lovey-dovey scenes, seeing as how all of them except for Robin are dead. But do not fear! Do not leave this story because of this! I'll tie it all up in the end. And there will be strong language, but it is from the game that I pull this from, not my mind. The only reason I add it in is to show how the characters are. For example, one will drop F-bombs like WWII, but Robin himself will probably say "ass" once a chapter, and nothing worse than "damn". There will also be blood and gore, as well as talk about sexuality in one character's case. Obviously I rated this R, and I'm sorry for those of you who can't read this, but I would destroy the story if I made it PG-13. For those of you who can read this, enjoy.

For reference, everyone except Robin is wearing their Titan's uniform, which means Terra has the black long-sleeved tank top with the gloves and shorts. She's dressed as she was in "Titan Rising" and "Betrayal".

Without further ado, here is the prologue to "The Suffering".

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Robin sat silently on board the prison ship that was taking him to Hell. More like a prison tugboat than anything. His sleeveless white shirt was like a brand labeling him as a murderer, his mustard yellow pants reminding him of his friend's favorite "beverage". He was barefoot, since no shoes fit him, and he sat with them propped on the opposite seat, arms crossed as he tried not to think of where he was going.

"Excuse me."

Robin looked up to see a man that looked barely 20 years old standing before him. He was hunched over, his red buzz cut sticking out like a lighthouse as he looked at everything but Robin.

"Could I sit here, sir?"

Robin looked at the man, and smiled. Finally, someone who wasn't obsessed with torture and murder.

"Sure, have a seat."

The man sat down, and looked greatly relieved, and Robin began to inquire him.

"Seasick?"

"Yeah, get it every time I'm two feet from the shore."

"You'll get your sea legs soon."

"I doubt it friend. Scheduled for death row."

"Same here. What for?"

"Supposedly I killed a little girl after raping her mom. I know I didn't do it; I was at home watching the ball game. I heard about yours, though. Got Judge Basner, huh? That little ass would accuse a newborn of GTA."

"Not very popular is he?"

"Every single one of the people that he takes to trial are sent here. His nickname, among less pleasant things, is Judge Bastard. He had a civilized childhood, wonder what made him become such a shithead?"

"Maybe he lost a parent?"

"The guy has never lost a family member, or a friend. He has a lovely wife and two children. You couldn't find two more happy kids on the planet. By the way, my name's Jeremy. Pleasure to meet you."

"Robin, likewise. It's good to meet someone who doesn't brag about their crimes."

"Oh, there's a lot of that going on here. You see that guy?"

Jeremy pointed to a big black man sitting cross-legged, talking to a bald inmate. "That's Dave, but his nickname is The Terminator. He's been here about seventeen times rumor has it. I don't know if it's true, but I do know he's been here more than once, for charges that'll make your head spin. Thing is, he does it just to go back to Carnate. He's crazy, if you ask me."

Robin sighed. "I remember when I was putting lowlifes like him behind bars." He grimaced. "Money says I'm gonna see some familiar faces there."

"I doubt it. Only the worst crimes are punished here, and I don't think you've caught anyone with a charge like mine."

"Can't say I have. But I'm sure my reputation's gonna bite me in the ass while I'm here."

"If not that, your accusation will. The prison population looks down on people who kill kids, regardless of the circumstances. I wouldn't worry though. You're the Boy Wonder. Once you smack a couple of them around, you'll get the respect you deserve."

"Thanks, man."

"Think nothing of it. You deserve some respect, 'specially after being sent here by that bastard."

"Abbott's that bad?"

"Let me put it this way. Carnate Island was created from the leftovers of Hell, and Abbott was built out of stone from Satan's throne. There's no place worse than here. It's said to be haunted, and I would believe it too. All the forms of human atrocities have happened here. From burnings to the gas chamber to being buried alive. There was a slave ship that was transporting illegally captured Negroes back to America during the early 1800's. They beached on this island, and to save their own skins, they let rats eat the Negroes alive. Then there's Abbott itself. All forms of execution have taken place here. all save beheading, but that surely must have happened before it was built. You name a way to kill someone, and it's been done somewhere in the long history of this place. The ground has been soaked with human blood so many times that the trees themselves appear carnivorous, only able to take in blood to nourish themselves. Not true, but it could happen, knowing this place."

"You seem to know a lot about Carnate. Been here before?"

"Yes, for something I actually did. I was getting high, and I thought I saw Satan, so I tried to run him over with my van. Turns out that it was a group of elder people that were crossing the street. I killed all eight of them. I'm ashamed of myself. I've gone cold turkey on weed ever since."

"Good for you. Ain't ever touched the stuff myself."

"You don't want to, let me tell you. I did some crazy shit when I went on a bad trip once. Saw pink rabbits with chainsaws. God, I'm insane."

"No you're not."

"What makes you say that?"

"You don't want to know."

Jeremy decided not to press the issue further, and looked up from Robin. He saw Carnate on the horizon, and started talking to him again.

"Take a good look at the water, my friend. I have this feeling you and I will never see it again."

"I wouldn't worry. You might be able to make an appeal."

"Doubt it. I think I've finally had it. Well, it was nice talkin' to ya, Robin."

"Same here. Maybe we'll be in the same prison block."

"Maybe."

The boat pulled into the docks, and they all stood up to enter the island that would be their home for the rest of their lives. One black C.O. with a goatee smacked Robin in the back of his head with the butt of his shotgun. "Get goin' inmate, I ain't got time to put up with any of your shit." He called out to the other prisoners, "If any of you got jackrabbit blood, I will cap you before you can take five steps, ya dig?"

Robin rubbed the back of his head. "Whatever you say, asshole." He mumbled under his breath. The C.O. whirled on him. "What was that?" he said dangerously, pointing his weapon at Robin's head. Jeremy came to his rescue, pushing the gun down as he talked to the officer.

"It's alright sir, he was talking to me."

"The C.O. looked from Jeremy to Robin, then back again. "Alright, whatever you say. But I have my eye on you." He said to Robin, glaring at the boy with disgust. As the two put distance between them and the disgruntled man, Robin turned to Jeremy.

"Thanks, man. That guy was gonna pop me back there. I owe you."

"Ah, it was nothing. That's Johnson; he's a paranoid son of a bitch. Thinks that all the inmates are plotting against him. But don't get the wrong idea. He was nice to me during my last time here. Just do as he says without question, and he might put in a good word or two about you if you make an appeal."

Robin smiled. Not even on the island for a minute, and he'd already made a friend. Perhaps his time here wouldn't be too bad.

He heard the cage door slam shut. He was in a rectangular pen with a chain link fence perimeter topped off by barbed wire. The other inmates had spread out, and some were standing around, others sitting, and some even laying down to take a nap before being shipped off to Abbott. Robin leaned against the chain link fence. He crossed his arms and thought about his team. What had been his team. He remembered fondly the way Beast Boy and Terra were always no more than twenty feet apart from each other, how Cyborg would always go for pizza in the T-car, how Starfire would always have some sort of alien holiday almost every week. Robin felt tears come to his eyes at the memory of seeing Raven and Cyborg fix dinner together, talking about the new video game or about Raven's new book. About how Beast Boy and Terra would watch in amusement as he tried to teach Starfire to play video games. He remembered the time that she had held the controller upside down, trying to figure out what each button and joystick did as Beast Boy and Terra giggled with silent mirth at Robin's best efforts to show her how to hold it correctly.

Robin's memories were cut short by some inmates talking about him. He acted as though he didn't hear them, but listened intently for what they were saying.

One of them pointed at him. He was white, with greasy black hair that had been made into a mullet. "You see that guy?" he said, his voice high and squeaky. "Fucking degenerate, killed some kids."

Dave spoke up next, his voice raspy from snorting crack for who knew how long. "His own teammates is what I heard. That bastard even killed two of them who where in love. Little asshole, he deserves worse than the needle."

"What do you say we do it ourselves? Maybe cut him down to size?"

Another joined their group. He too was black, but where Dave was Tall and muscular, he was short and bony. He looked as though he hadn't been fed except once a month, with long arms that looked as though they had seen many gang fights. "Not a bad idea. The C.O.'s won't care if we shiv him. Let's kill that cocksucker." He said, his voice sounding like a teenagers.

"I'm all for it. What's say we introduce him to are little friends?"

With that, the three pulled out shivs and advanced on the lone boy. The shivs that they had made where from a metal bed frame that had been sharpened on one end and a cloth wrapped around the other side to make a grip. Armed like this, they walked up to the Boy Wonder and began slashing at him, trying to hit his vital areas as their weapons sliced through the air. Robin ducked and sweep kicked the white man, who was named Patrick. He then grabbed Dave's wrist, who had been holding his shiv upside down, about to plunge the weapon into Robin's unprotected back. Robin squeezed a pressure point on his wrist, and Dave dropped his weapon with a bellow of pain, and punched Robin away from him. Robin scooped up the shiv as he flew backwards, throwing it back with expert accuracy. Dave had reflexes from living on the street, and ducked his head, but the weapon still sliced into his back, a tribute to how sharp it was. Dave roared with pain and rage, charging Robin with cold fury in his eyes.

"Mutha fucka, I'm gonna clean this floor with yo ass!"

Robin jumped over his head, kicking him on the cut. Dave slammed headfirst into the fence, nearly pushing it down with his momentum. Robin failed to notice the smaller man, who was known as Charles, sneak up behind him. Robin ducked, but not in time to doge the shiv that went through the side of his arm like it wasn't there. Robin shouted with agony, and kicked him back, shiv flinging from his hands towards Jeremy, whose own street borne reflexes caught the weapon, and he slipped it into his mustard yellow shirt for future use.

Robin's battle with them was nothing compared to what was going on in his mind. He was trying his hardest to not become the thing that had possessed him when Slade had threatened them with the fake chronoton detonator. He blocked another hit, but Dave slashed at him, cutting deep into his back. Charles stabbed his shoulder lightly, and Patrick got him on his leg.

"This is for your friends, you bastard." Said Patrick, and Robin yelled with fury, He could feel his body change. He tried his best to keep it in line, but this latest insult drove him over the edge. He could feel his jaws elongate and his teeth become fangs. His sight went away as his skin folded over them, but his other senses were more than enough to tell him more than his eyes could. He felt the thumb on his right hand shrink, while the fingers fused together and grew to create deadly long claws. His left hand became a broadsword blade, and his skin ripped in several places as his body grew until he was almost six feet tall while he hunched over. He felt a presence to his left, and the sword sliced into its head. He stabbed to his right with his right hand, impaling another entity with his two claws. Throwing the two at the one in front of him, he jumped at the group, roaring as the monster that was Robin slashed and hacked away at them. Soon, he felt the rage subside, and slowly he lost his monstrous anger, and became human once again. Now, of course he stayed human the whole time. The beast was all in his mind, but to Robin it had really happened. He looked at the bodies in front of him, and heard the shouts of the C.O.'s as they tried to restore order to the once calm holding pen.

Robin turned around and looked out to sea. Standing on a ledge that jutted out across the waves stood his former team. Beast Boy and Terra were holding hands, and Cyborg and Raven stood on either side of them, all looking at him with blank expressions on their faces. Standing in front of them was Starfire, and she held out her hand to the awed boy.

"We still believe in you, Robin." She said almost sadly, and they vanished, leaving a scared and saddened Robin behind. He barely noticed as he was lugged onto an old army truck with what was left of the prisoners to be taken to the prison itself. Jeremy sat next to him, his face looking concerned for the boy.

"What happened back there? You suddenly grabbed Patrick and Charles and threw them into Dave as though they weighed nothing. Then you started to beat on them until you, well… killed them. What the Hell got into you?"

"I don't know, Jeremy, I just don't know."

"Well, I'll tell you one thing. You're gonna get your respect now. Wow, killing Dave like that. You're going down in history, you hear me, man. You're going down in fucking history for that. I'm glad I met you. Dave was a real bad one. You did us all good getting rid of him."

The other prisoners voiced the same thing.

"Good work."

"Nicely done."

"Dave ain't killin' no more ladies, that's fo sho. Uh-uh, he gettin' what he deserves in Hades now. Congratulations, boy."

Johnson looked back from the passenger seat. "I'm with them. You saved me a Hell of a time. I remember when it took five of us wielding Tommies to make him follow orders. Your something special, kid. If you try to get an appeal, I'm putting in a word or three on your behalf."

Robin smiled to himself. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad now that he had a good reputation with the prisoners and C.O.'s. The truck drove along the meandering hills of Carnate to Abbott State Penitentiary, where none of them could imagine the nightmare that would consume the island in a few hours.

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Yes, the language is uncharacteristic of my stories, but they cuss in the game, so I'm trying to follow the game as well as Teen Titans. I know it's short, but it's the prologue. The chapters will get longer as the levels in the game do.

Now let me explain Robin's problem. When he feels threatened or intensely enraged, in his mind he becomes a monster that you can see at t h e s u f f e r i n g . m i d w a y . c o m. Just remove the spaces, and go to screenshots. A picture of what his monster form looks like is screenshot number fourteen (14). I'll be telling you more screenshots to show the different monsters, so bookmark the site.

'Til the next chapter, which is titled "The Worst Place on Earth".